Second Generation

An architect's own kitchen is embraced by a new family

Written by Mervyn Kaufman • Styled by Andrea Caughy
Photographed by Ed Gohlich

"I didn't really design this kitchen with a client in mind. I designed it for myself," says Laura DuCharme-Conboy, AIA, of DuCharme Architecture in La Jolla, California. The house, too, was her conception, a 3,700-square-foot structure on a lot not far from the Pacific Ocean.

"For an architect, this was as much fun as I could ever have," she says. "I was able to ask myself, What would I do if given free rein? What materials do I want to play with and how do I put them together?" What she created was a two-story, four-bedroom house that includes a 14520-foot kitchen with Texas limestone on the walls and French limestone on the floor. To her, these are natural elements with material integrity. "I wanted to use other materials that are straightforward as well: wood beams, wood windows, countertops of lightly honed granite and cabinets that are either stainless steel or mahogany.

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